Miraculous: Mine to Keep
by Conspiraty
Summary: *Sequel to Mine to Take!* Marinette has been through hell ever since Max died, while Adrian is trying to pick up her pieces. Everyone has a dark past, and this time, it's Adrian's turn to be in the hot seat when his past comes back to haunt him, and possibly hurt the people he loves. How will Marinette handle someone she thought she knew? I don't own the book it's based off or pic.


**Conspiraty: **Hello everyone! So if you haven't guessed yet, it's the sequel to Mine to Take! :D (If you haven't read the first one or you read it but don't remember what happened, GO READ IT NOW.) I really actually wanted to do this before I quit, but I never got the chance to. A LOT of you asked for this back then, so sorry for the lateness of it, but it's here! So a couple things I need to mention. First, while I'm posting the first chapter now, the rest of the chapters won't be out until a later date. The reason for that is because when I came back to school, I had been told that I have to do my nursing entrance exam...in September. I don't know the date for the test yet, but I have been working my ass off studying for this test because I have to pass it or else my life is over D: So until I take it, I can't post anything until I take my test. My education comes first, and I can't study and type at the same time. So posting the rest of the story will be delayed until either after I take the test or in October. The reason why I'm posting the first chapter now instead of later is because I needed to explain what's going to happen instead of waiting until later because I don't know the date of the test; I just know it's in September. I don't know if it's in early September, middle of September, late September. So I'd rather post this now and continue working on it than to start working on it after I take the test.

Second, I've been sick for a hot minute now. So sick that I had to go to urgent care. (It's a long story.) I'm getting better now, but there's any typos or errors, I don't even have the energy to fix them and right now in all honesty, I don't care about them in this moment. So if you see any, just let me know and I'll fix it later, when I'm not sick and stressing over a test. Third, I'm not going to answer the last reviews from Sweet Addiction: It's not that I don't want to, it's just that people complain whenever I answer reviews from different stories and I just don't have the time to handle complaints. So yes, I've seen them, but I won't answer them. But thank you for leaving them :* Lastly, this is based off the sequel book, it's NOT free, it's like 3 bucks I believe but there is some things I've changed like I did for the first book. And there's no fun facts this time. They don't really fit with the tone of the story :I The sequel does have sex in it, like the first one did, so if it's not for you or you're underage DON'T READ IT. And this chapter has a sex scene. Read at your own risk.

And I pray for all of you guys to be safe and sound during Hurricane Dorian. All my prayers go around the world for you beautiful people.

* * *

She couldn't get free. No matter how long or how hard she struggled, Marinette couldn't escape from the handcuffs. Or from the basement that she knew would be her grave. The place smelled of blood and death. Fear. Her fear. Marinette's breath sawed in her lungs. Hunger gnawed at her, twisting in her stomach. The darkness was so complete.

She was trapped there. Marinette knew that she would die there. _"Agreste is dead." _The brutal words came to her in the darkness. Agreste. Adrian Agreste. Her Adrian. He was gone, and soon, she would be dying, too. Because there was no escape from the darkness. Or from the monster that waited there with her.

"_Marinette! Damnit, wake the fuck up!" _Hard hands grabbed her. Shook her. Tore her right out of her nightmare. Marinette Dupain-Cheng's eyelids flew open. Light surrounded her, flooding from the nearby lamp and spilling onto the rumpled bed. Adrian leaned over her. His hands were wrapped tightly around her upper arms. His emerald eyes-so bright that sometimes it almost hurt to look at them- blazed down at her.

"You come back to me," he demanded, his voice a low, deep growl. "You come back _now." _Her heart thudded in a frantic rhythm against her ribs. She couldn't suck in a breath that was deep enough, and Marinette realized that her cheeks were wet with tears. Because that hadn't just been a nightmare. It had been a memory.

Four weeks ago, her ex-lover, Max Kante, had kidnapped her. He'd kept her captive in a basement. Starved her. If it hadn't been for Adrian, Marinette knew that she would have died in that stinking pit. "I'm back," she said, but the words were hoarse, as if she'd been screaming. When Max had taken her, she'd screamed for hours. Days? Until her voice broke. "He can't hurt you anymore," Adrian said.

The faint lines around his eyes tightened as his gaze swept over her face. "Baby, that bastard is rotting in the ground. He won't hurt _anyone." _Thanks to Adrian. Because Adrian had killed Max. _Memories can't hurt you. _Lately, that had become her mantra. Adrian bent his head. His lips brushed over her cheek. "I don't want you crying because of that SOB." But she hadn't been crying for Max.

She'd been crying because…in that twisted memory, Adrian hadn't come to save her. Adrian had been dead. She wet her dry lips and stared into his eyes. In one way or another, Adrian had been the central point of her life since she'd been 15 years old. He'd saved her the first night they met. Her foster brother had been attacking her. Marinette had been so certain that no one would her cries for help.

Adrian had heard her. Without him, sometimes she feared that she would be lost. And that scared her to death. "Make love to me," she said, the words coming out in that same hoarse, husky tone. His hold tightened on her. "I need you," Marinette told him, and it was the truth. Adrian was real and strong, and she wanted him to banish the fear that twisted within her. "Marinette…"

Her hands rose up. Her fingers sank into the thickness of his blonde hair, and she pulled his head toward her. Her lips met his. Open. Hungry. Desperate. She licked his lips. Licked his tongue. They were in bed. She was naked, tangled in the sheets. She needed-

"I'll give you anything you want, you know that," Adrian said, hitting off the words against her lips. Then he yanked the sheets away from her. Flesh met flesh. He was warm and hard, his body strong with muscles, and he was _alive. _His fingers slide down her body. Parted her legs. His fingers stroked her. Eased up and-

"No." Marinette was surprised by the clipped denial that broke from her, but she wasn't looking for seduction. She needed pleasure. Release. Fast. Hard. His jaw tensed. "You." Marinette whispered. "I need to feel you." her hands curved around his shoulders. Her short nails raked over his flesh. Down, down she went. Her hand slide around his sides, pushed across his rock-hard abs. Then she was touching his cock. Heavy and full, thrusting toward her.

"I don't want to wait," Marinette said as she stroked him. "I need you, _now." _

"You're not ready, Marinette." His words were a rumble. "Yes, I am." She arched toward him. "Adrian, please!" She tried to urge him toward her, but Adrian was too strong, and he pulled back. Her heart stopped then. "Not like this," he said, the words hard and sharp and-

He kissed her. Deep and long even as he caressed the center of her need. She pushed against him. Because she didn't want to go slow. She needed fast. One hundred miles an hour. Too fast to think. Too to do anything but feel-

He thrust a finger into her. Stretched her. Not enough. Not even close. His mouth trailed down her neck. He kissed her throat. Licked her sensitive flesh. His fingers kept stroking her. Desire built, pushing through her. But the desire wasn't enough. It wasn't going to be enough, not until he was _in _her. Marinette arched toward him. Her legs wrapped around his hips. But Adrian's hands caught her legs and pushed them back down.

No, she wanted _him. _Adrian slid down-

And he put his mouth on her. Pleasure came then, surging her through her and a moan broke from her lips. "Much fucking better," Adrian growled. _"Now, _we do this." He positioned his body and drove into her. Deep. So deep. She stared into his eyes, those bright, glittering eyes. Stared right into that emerald even as the bed shook beneath her. He thrust, again and again. Harder.

There was no more thinking. Only feeling. Meeting him. Thrust for thrust. Sweat slickened their bodies. She couldn't look away from his gaze. His hands had locked around her hips. He lifted her up, holding her easily, as he thrust. Every muscle in her body tightened. She was so close to release. So close-

Pleasure exploded. The release burst over her with an impact that took her breath away. She shuddered and quaked, and he was there. Adrian stiffened against her. Held her even tighter. The hot surge of his release filled her. _Alive. _Tremors shook her sex. Shook her. But the memories of fear and death were gone. Pleasure surrounded her.

Because Adrian surrounded her. In that moment, Marinette could almost convince herself that she was safe. Almost. The thunder of her heartbeat slowly eased its mad drumming. She became aware of other sounds then. The rush of waves, the pounding of the water against the shore. The scent of the ocean.

She wasn't in Chicago. Not Paris. They'd escaped together, and Adrian had taken her down to the Florida Keys. She wasn't supposed to be cold there. She wasn't supposed to be afraid. His lips feathered over her cheek. "Do you want to talk about it?" Marinette shook her head. "He's dead. I won't ever let anyone hurt you again."

Her lashes lifted, and she found herself staring up into Adrian's eyes once more. She'd always felt like Adrian could see straight into her soul. Past the pretenses that she gave to others. Right to her core. Adrian Agreste. His face was hard, strong. Slashing cheekbones. A square, tight jaw. Lips that were cut in the faintest of cruel lines.

One look, and a smart woman knew he was dangerous. Marinette knew, and she didn't care. He'd killed for her. She probably _should _have been afraid of him. She wasn't. Because, deep down, Marinette knew the truth. _I'd kill for him, too. _With each day that passed, she was discovering a new darkness within herself.

Maybe that was why she'd always been drawn to Adrian. They were the same. He slowly withdrew from her. Stood. He stared down at her, his legs brushing against the side of the bed. "You have to talk to someone." No, she didn't. What she had to do was shove the memories of the past into the deepest, darkest part of her mind. _And move the hell on. _

That was what she'd done before, when her parents had died. Burying the pain and the dark memories-that was the way she survived. Her coping mechanisms had gotten her through life. One stumbling step at a time. "The nightmares aren't stopping." His hands clenched into powerful fists as he stared down at her. "You need to-"

"I have what I need," she said, and she rose from the bed, too. Marinette pulled the sheet with her, letting it cover her body. Adrian had never cared for modesty. She shouldn't either, but Marinette still found herself pulling the sheet closer. "Talking to some shrink isn't going to magically fix me."

"Marinette…" A loud, insistent ringing cut through his words. _Saved by the bell. _Marinette glanced to the right. Adrian's phone waited on the small nightstand. "It can damn well wait," he muttered. "You should-"

But she'd leaned forward to see the screen. "It's Nino. You'd better talk to him." Because Nino Lahiffe was Adrian's right-hand man. A bodyguard, a best friend-one of the few confidants Adrian actually had in the world. "Go ahead," Marinette urged him. "It could be important." She headed for the bathroom. Took the silken robe that waited on the hook behind the door. "I'll be outside."

The ringing stopped just as she opened the balcony door. When she heard Adrian answer the call, Marinette stepped outside. The pounding of the surf was louder. The salty scent of the ocean filled her nose. A private island.

Adrian didn't do things half-way. Since the guy was a freaking billionaire now, he could have anything or anyone he wanted…with just a snap of his fingers. The wind blew her robe back against her, molding the silk to her body. Marinette headed for the churning waves. The light of the moon glinted off the water, making it look almost black.

She walked toward that beckoning darkness. One foot, in front of the other. These days, that was the only way she could get through life. The waves hit her feet, and they washed away the footprints that she'd left behind.

* * *

"Nino, this had better be damn important," Adrian Agreste snarled as his fingers tightened around the phone. He'd jerked on a pair of jeans and then followed Marinette out onto the balcony. He stood now, watching her as she walked along the shore. The waves crashed against her feet. Marinette. His beautiful, lost Marinette.

The nightmares weren't stopping, and the pain in her green eyes seemed to be getting worse with each passing day. The trip to the Keys had been designed to heal her wounds. Not make them worse. "Boss, you're not going to believe who dropped by for a little visit today." Nino's voice flowed easily over the line. Adrian kept his eyes on Marinette. Was she going into the water?

"Luka Couffaine was here, looking for you." A hard breath blew from Adrian. The name was from his past, a blood-soaked past that he'd tried to bury. "What the hell did he want?"

"The guy said he had a message. One that he could only give to you." Figured. "But, there was…there was something about his eyes…" Now hesitation had entered Nino's voice, and that in itself was damn unusual. "The man's been unstable for years, hell, I know that, but this was different." Adrian didn't take his eyes off Marinette. Her scent was on him. She'd marked him in ways that went far beneath the skin.

"He was afraid," Nino added. "Terrified."

"Everyone is afraid of something," Adrian murmured. He'd learned to fear recently. Before, he tried to fool himself into thinking that he was invulnerable. Then a bastard had tried to take Marinette away from him. _No one takes her. _

She'd waded into the water. She looked so small out there. And her robe was getting soaked. "He came to the penthouse," Nino told him, "not the security agency." Akuma Securities wasn't just an agency. It was the biggest private security firm in the United States. Adrian had built it with blood and sweat. And with the aid of secrets. So many deadly secrets.

"Tell me you have a man on him," Adrian said. Because Nino would understand how important-and volatile- Luka could be. Nino had been in hell with Adrian. They'd both survived. As had Luka…

Well, Luka had _mostly _survived. The waves crashed into Marinette. She stumbled. Adrian surged forward. "Yeah, a guy's on him," Nino said, sounding annoyed now. "Jeez, boss, what do you think this is? Amateur hour? I'm calling because I thought you'd want to know. I thought this new might make you get your ass off that island. You have to come back home sooner or later."

Yes, he did. He'd let Marinette hide long enough. _The nightmares aren't going away. This place doesn't make her feel any safer. _"We'll be coming back on the jet tomorrow." Adrian's breath rushed over the line. "Good. Good, but…is she…okay?" The waves crashed into her again. This time, Marinette didn't stumble. She stood strong. "She's not going to break." Because he wouldn't let her.

_I need her too much. _"Make sure the guards are in place," Adrian directed. Because he wouldn't be taking any chances. "They're ready and waiting." Good. Adrian ended the call. He tossed his phone onto the hammock near the edge of the balcony, then he hurried down the wooden steps that would take him to the beach and to her.

She didn't turn at his approach. Adrian wasn't even sure that Marinette could hear him, not over the rough pounding on the surf. Her long, dark blue hair trailed over her back. Her hands were lifted up, as if she'd touch the waves. Her body was delicate, lithe, a true model's body, but she'd become too fragile since her abduction. "Marinette."

She didn't look back. He followed her into the surf, not caring that his jeans got soaked, but he did say, "Baby, you're getting your robe wet, you-" She glanced over her shoulder at him. The moonlight fell over her face. Her high cheekbones. The gentle curve of her jaw. The straight line of her nose. Her fuck-me lips.

The woman had a mouth that always made him think of sin. A mouth that made him need. Her stare held his. It was too dark for him to see the blue color of her eyes or to read any emotion in her gaze. "We're going home, aren't we?" Marinette asked. Home. Back to Chicago. He nodded.

"Then let's go out in style," she said, and she slipped off the robe. "Marinette-" She tossed the robe toward him. He caught it, his hands flying up in a reflexive action. Marinette's laughter teased his ears. He loved that sound. Happy. Free. She hadn't sounded that way in so long. His fingers fisted in the robe.

Naked now, Marinette dove into the waves. He tossed the robe onto the beach behind him. "Come and get me…" Her words taunted him when she broke through the surface of the water. That was exactly what he planned to do. Adrian stalked into the water.

_She won't break. _Her laughter reached him once more, banishing the chill that had crept over him when he'd awoken to the sound of her screams. Marinette was stronger that most people realized. Her arms reached for him. He held her tight and knew that he couldn't let her go.

* * *

Luka Couffaine hunched his shoulders as he turned and hurried into the alley. He knew he was being followed. He'd known for a while now. Death was coming. Stalking him with slow, certain steps. He had a debt to repay before he died. His father had always taught him that a man had to pay his debts.

One way or another. He owed Adrian Agreste. He'd pay him. Warn him. The faintest shuffle of a footstep reached Luka's ears. His gaze flew to the mouth of the alley. Death had been after him for years now. After him. After Adrian. _You could only run for so long. _The faint shuffle came again.

_Before the past catches you… _His fingers curled around the knife that he always kept close. Death wasn't going to have an easy time taking him. He planned to fight for every moment that he had left. And if he had to, he'd kill to keep living. He knew how to kill. He was good at it.

Thanks to Agreste. _And I'll repay that debt… _Even if it was the last fucking thing he did.

* * *

**Conspiraty: **If you're wondering what the sequel is about, instead of Marinette's past, we now dive into Adrian's past; the one he wants to keep hidden. Throughout the story, you guys will learn that not even the innocent ones can be trusted :x We have characters from the first one coming back, and then I'm also adding some new ones in the sequel. So I hope you guys enjoy; I'm sorry I can't update in September like I planned, but I have to make this test my priority right now. Hopefully I'll be able to post once or twice this month, and if I can't, then the next chapter will be in the first week of October. See you guys next time!


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